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On camera microphone
Apr 8, 2021 07:54:22   #
Jclear Loc: Bradenton FL
 
I know this is a photography forum but hope some of you do video with all these snazzy new cameras. My question for those of you that do video, do you us an on camera and if so what brand/model do you use and any pros/cons? Thanks in advance.

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Apr 8, 2021 10:13:23   #
CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City
 
Jclear wrote:
I know this is a photography forum but hope some of you do video with all these snazzy new cameras. My question for those of you that do video, do you us an on camera and if so what brand/model do you use and any pros/cons? Thanks in advance.


If you want better sound, you'll get an external 'directional' mic with a wind shield. The camera mic tends to pick up everything, including handling the camera, the zoom motor and the IS hiss of the lens.

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Apr 8, 2021 10:29:33   #
Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)
 
Jclear wrote:
I know this is a photography forum but hope some of you do video with all these snazzy new cameras. My question for those of you that do video, do you us an on camera and if so what brand/model do you use and any pros/cons? Thanks in advance.


Without knowing what you are filming or for what purpose, it's hard to recommend anything. By and large no one doing serious or semi-serious video uses on camera microphones. Rode makes pretty decent entry to mid level wireless mikes, and Sennheiser, Shure, and others offer broadcast quality gear - to amp up the snazz factor.

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Apr 8, 2021 11:19:11   #
larryepage Loc: North Texas area
 
I interpret the question to refer to microphones mounted on the flash shoe. Some of those are not too bad and some even approach the performance of shotgun mics. Wireless mics are OK, too, but the problem of managing the audio pretty quickly gets complex and can require a mixer.

The most important thing to do, and it costs nothing, is to figure out how to turn off the automatic gain control for the audio. (Some cameras don't allow for this.) Camera operating noise presents the worst problem when there is no "intended audio," and the camera cranks the sensitivity up looking for something to record. Of course that means that the next thing you will need to learn to do is to control the audio levels manually.

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Apr 8, 2021 11:25:34   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
I have several!

The easiest, least complicated is the $60 Rode VideoMicro. It is small and directional with a simple plug direct in to the camera. It comes with a mount for the hot shoe. The pro is simplicity. The con is that it won't be as good as any mic placed within a foot of the source.

Almost as simple, and surprisingly affordable, lav mic is the $35 Audio-Technica ATR3350. The pro is that it is placed near the speakers mouth which makes the audio much better. The con is wires to trip over, batteries that can go dead and frequency range is limited.

The most amazing audio system I have is brand new. The Rode Wireless Go II kit is $300. (I spent part of my second stimulus check on it!) YouTube reviews of it are very convincing. They all say it will do everything you might ever want to do to get good audio for video. It has two transmitter mics and a reciever for the camera hot shoe. The pros are too many to list but include how much fun it is to watch so many YouTube tutorials. The cons are price, a bit of a learning curve and the frequency range is not "musical".

Recording musicians is much harder. They can be really picky! For that I have a Zoom H1n. At $100, it is the entry point of higher fidelity recording. It has built in mics and records to micro sd card. You can plug it in to and mount it on a camera, but that runs the audio through the camera's weaker preamp. For video you need editing software that will sync that audio track to the cameras built in recording. Premier Pro will automatically do that but Premiere Elements will only do it manually. The pro is high quality. The con is more complexity in editing.

For serious work you need something like the six channel Zoom H6 and Sure SM58 mics for voice and SM57 mics for instruments. I've borrowed that gear and worked with an audio engineer friend. We teamed up to record two classical musicians. He did the audio to pair with and replace the camera audio track recorded with the Rode VideoMicro. The basic idea is to record multiple tracks for post processing. Using Audition or Audacity you clean out the inevitable noise and mix the tracks to one for use in the video editing software. The pro is superb quality. The con is how much you have to know and do to get it right.

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Apr 8, 2021 21:24:27   #
Jclear Loc: Bradenton FL
 
I am using an Olympus E-M1 II and will be recording travel/cruise events and tours. Trying to pick-up audio from tour guides and shows at amusement parks. I was looking at the VideoMic GO, but read a number of bad reviews.

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Apr 9, 2021 09:40:13   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
The VideoMic Go is longer than Rode's VideoMicro that I use. With its narrower pickup pattern it should work as well or better than anything you can camera mount.

What are the bad reviews?

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Apr 9, 2021 10:44:24   #
TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC
 
bsprague wrote:
I have several!

The easiest, least complicated is the $60 Rode VideoMicro. It is small and directional with a simple plug direct in to the camera. It comes with a mount for the hot shoe. The pro is simplicity. The con is that it won't be as good as any mic placed within a foot of the source.

Almost as simple, and surprisingly affordable, lav mic is the $35 Audio-Technica ATR3350. The pro is that it is placed near the speakers mouth which makes the audio much better. The con is wires to trip over, batteries that can go dead and frequency range is limited.

The most amazing audio system I have is brand new. The Rode Wireless Go II kit is $300. (I spent part of my second stimulus check on it!) YouTube reviews of it are very convincing. They all say it will do everything you might ever want to do to get good audio for video. It has two transmitter mics and a reciever for the camera hot shoe. The pros are too many to list but include how much fun it is to watch so many YouTube tutorials. The cons are price, a bit of a learning curve and the frequency range is not "musical".

Recording musicians is much harder. They can be really picky! For that I have a Zoom H1n. At $100, it is the entry point of higher fidelity recording. It has built in mics and records to micro sd card. You can plug it in to and mount it on a camera, but that runs the audio through the camera's weaker preamp. For video you need editing software that will sync that audio track to the cameras built in recording. Premier Pro will automatically do that but Premiere Elements will only do it manually. The pro is high quality. The con is more complexity in editing.

For serious work you need something like the six channel Zoom H6 and Sure SM58 mics for voice and SM57 mics for instruments. I've borrowed that gear and worked with an audio engineer friend. We teamed up to record two classical musicians. He did the audio to pair with and replace the camera audio track recorded with the Rode VideoMicro. The basic idea is to record multiple tracks for post processing. Using Audition or Audacity you clean out the inevitable noise and mix the tracks to one for use in the video editing software. The pro is superb quality. The con is how much you have to know and do to get it right.
I have several! br br The easiest, least complica... (show quote)


Very informative. Btw, for Canon owners, if your particular body is supported, Magic Lantern (free) FW adds a number of audio/video features that are highly useful.

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Apr 9, 2021 10:52:52   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
TriX wrote:
Very informative. Btw, for Canon owners, if your particular body is supported, Magic Lantern (free) FW adds a number of audio/video features that are highly useful.


Thank you for the compliment TriX. I do not have any Canons. Instead I use a "hybrid" Panasonic mirrorless M4/3 because of it's video capabilities. Recently I've added a DJI Pocket II camera with a gimbled video head. It is a "think out of the box" camcorder design that is nothing like any camera I've ever had. With an optional "creator" kit it solves all the camera shake and audio issues that come with video recording.

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Apr 9, 2021 12:39:11   #
G. Crook Loc: Linden, TX
 
.....and the guy behind the camera breathing.

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Apr 9, 2021 13:25:29   #
al lehman Loc: San jose, ca.
 
I typically advise not to use onboard mics. They pick up surrounding noise that can disort your audio with undesirable noise. I use a RODE ntg5 shotgun directional mic as well as a Levelier mic for interviews. I use my RODE on a Canon C200B video camera and it produces great audio. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions on the RODE.

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Apr 9, 2021 14:19:18   #
bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA
 
al lehman wrote:
I typically advise not to use onboard mics. They pick up surrounding noise that can disort your audio with undesirable noise. I use a RODE ntg5 shotgun directional mic as well as a Levelier mic for interviews. I use my RODE on a Canon C200B video camera and it produces great audio. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions on the RODE.


Except that in this case, the OP writes he is using an M4/3 mirrorless camera and "recording travel/cruise events and tours". The $500 NTG6 would certainly get good audio but the XLR connection requires complication in this case. And, to get the mic off the camera would require an assistant.

My vote is the Rode VideoMicro or the Rode Rode VideoMic GO. Both have the connections for the OP's camera and use the camera's plug in power. No batteries or fussing around! Plug, play and shoot!

Buy it from B&H where they have a 30 day, satisfaction guaranteed return policy. Amazon probably does too!

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Apr 9, 2021 19:26:31   #
rossk Loc: Melbourne, Australia
 
RODE microphones are right up there and hugely respected by video makers. Work brilliantly on or off camera.

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Apr 9, 2021 22:56:13   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Jclear wrote:
I know this is a photography forum but hope some of you do video with all these snazzy new cameras. My question for those of you that do video, do you us an on camera and if so what brand/model do you use and any pros/cons? Thanks in advance.


No. I put a shotgun (hypercardioid) mic on a boom or omnidirectional lapel mics on talent, usually.

When a mic is > 3’ from sound source, ambient noise can be a serious distraction.

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